Satelliten ausgesetzt: Erfolg für Isar Aerospace: Deutsche Rakete erreicht Orbit

German aerospace company Isar Aerospace achieved a significant milestone with its second test flight of the Spectrum rocket, successfully launching five satellites into Earth's orbit. The rocket launched from Norway's Andøya Space Center on Saturday at 22:12 UTC. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre congratulated the team, with Merz emphasizing the "beginning of a new era."

Isar Aerospace CEO Daniel Metzler stated that the company's three-to-seven Spectrum rockets are already in production, noting that Europe can be fast and deliver. This success comes after a first test flight in March 2025 where the rocket lasted only 30 seconds before crashing, marking a major achievement for the young company after months of delays and four postponements.

The 28-tonne rocket reached almost 100 kilometers above Earth, the Karman Line that marks the boundary between Earth and space, after just four minutes into the flight. The subsequent orbit insertion of the Spectrum went smoothly, deploying the scientific satellites of several universities into suborbital trajectories over 500 kilometers above Earth.

The successful launch was described as a "turning point for Europe" by the company in a press release. Metzler added that "in a few years, what the European aerospace industry has taken decades to achieve." The Spectrum was initially scheduled to launch in January, but a defective valve delayed the first attempt, a Norwegian fisherman interfered during the March launch, causing a safety zone breach in the waters near the start site, and another issue arose in April due to a leaking pressure tank.

Isar Aerospace plans to conduct more launches in Norway this year and next, with additional launches from a planned Canadian and French-Guiana spaceports by 2028. The Spectrum will be used to deliver both civilian and military satellites into low Earth orbits, with plans to produce 40 rockets per year. Chancellor Merz's enthusiastic congratulations reflect the strategic importance of the company for Europe, as both the German government and the EU, along with other European states, have a strategic interest in European success with its 400 employees.

The dependence on US technology and SpaceX will diminish as Europe currently lacks the capability to launch satellites on its own, with European satellites largely relying on SpaceX launches. The United States launched 198 rockets last year, while Europe only launched eight. "Strategic access to space, not being dependent on a monopoly, is extremely important for our security, our economy, and our strategic autonomy," said Metzler.

Kanzler Merz, Minister for Science Dorothee Bär, and Bayerns Ministerpräsident Markus Söder joined the congratulations. Isar Aerospace has raised over half a billion euros in investor funds and signed a 200 million euro contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the development of European rockets. Around 60% of Isar Aerospace's requests come from the military sector.

The company currently has contracts worth several hundred million dollars for the next few years, even though the rocket is not yet ready for mass production. Chancellor Merz visited Andøya on March 13 with Norway's Prime Minister Støre. The delayed Ariane 6 is also expected to take off, as the French-German ArianeGroup plans to launch seven to eight Ariane 6 rockets this year after years of delays.

The Ariane 6 is a larger rocket capable of carrying heavier payloads into geostationary orbits 36,000 kilometers above Earth, unlike the smaller Spectrum.